


Worth It

by safety_dancer



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-19
Updated: 2015-09-19
Packaged: 2018-04-21 13:01:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4830038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/safety_dancer/pseuds/safety_dancer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jason falls into doubt once again; doubts if he was worth saving.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worth It

One of Bruce’s favorite times of the day was the moment Jason returned from school. The boy would burst through the front doors, toss his backpack aside, and rush to give Bruce a tight hug before proceeding to gush about anything and everything that had transpired that day. Bruce would ruffle Jason’s dark curls, throwing in a comment every now and again; make sure the child took a breath in between jumbled sentences.  
Those moments were the ones where Bruce felt like he had finally done something right. Seeing the bright, enthusiastic smile on Jason’s face, and to think, that is for me.  
But today, when Jason came through the doors after school, he earned no such smile. Jason didn’t even look at him; simply passed in silence and made up the staircase for his room. Bruce took notice of his slumped shoulders, the dejected dragging of his feet. The words of greeting he had been about to offer stuck in his throat, a feeling of worry weighing down his chest.  
“Jason?”  
Jason paused in his ascent, but didn’t turn. He said nothing, just stood still. Bruce cleared his throat, taking a hesitant step closer.  
“Are you alright?”  
“Fine.”  
“You know you can talk to me, ri-?”  
“I said I was fine.” The boy quickly took the rest of the steps up, disappearing from sight. Bruce stared at the spot where he had just been, unsure of what to do next.  
He had had to deal with this same attitude when Jason first came to live with them. Jason hadn’t felt like he fit; that he wouldn’t ever be accepted in a place like the Manor. He was convinced that it was just a momentary thing. A quick stunt for the press; that Bruce didn’t really mean any of it. It had taken a long time to assure him otherwise; that Bruce did, in fact, love him and that Jason was his son.  
Was he falling back into those old doubts? Bruce tried to think of any reason why Jason might be, but came up blank.  
He should probably go figure about what was wrong now instead of standing around.  
Drawing a long breath, he started up the stairs, albeit slowly. Jason’s door was still open and Bruce could see him sitting on the bed. He walked closer, socked feet near silent on the carpeted floor, but not quiet enough that Jason wouldn’t be able to hear him, as evident in the sudden stiffening his shoulders.  
“What do you want?” Jason asked in a near whisper, but without bite. Bruce stopped just inside the doorway, uncertain as to whether he should come any closer or stay put. He decided upon getting closer after a quick mental debate, easing himself onto the bed beside Jason, who turned his face away.  
“Jason,” Bruce tried, hoping that the boy would look at him. “Tell me what’s wrong, please.”  
Jason heaved a shaky breath, running a hand through his hair in a gesture Bruce knew to be a nervous one, before dropping both hands to his lap, fiddling with the hem of his shirt absently.  
“Am I worth it?” He asked suddenly, quickly. He finally looked up at Bruce, his green eyes holding uncertainty, eyebrows scrunched in a slight frown.  
“Worth what?”  
“Anything. Everything. I-” He paused, huffing a short, agitated breath. “Was I worth saving?”  
“Of course.” Bruce didn’t even hesitate. His voice was sure and firm, but Jason only clenched his jaw, eyes filling with tears which he tried to blink away. Bruce’s breath stuttered at the sight of his son crying; his chest feeling heavier with each droplet that escaped from the boy’s now-closed eyes. “Jason. You are worth saving. You- you are worth so much more.” He smiled softly, reaching out to place his hand over Jason’s. “Sometimes I wonder how I was worthy of you. You’re one of the best things to happen to me, Jason. Don’t ever let yourself think differently. You are my son, and I. I love you.”  
Jason breathed out a small, shocked laugh, scrubbing his sleeves over his eyes to try and wipe away the wetness that clung to his lashes.  
“Yeah?”  
Bruce smiled, squeezing Jason’s hand.  
“Yeah.”  
A tiny, happy smile graced Jason’s face, and he leaned against Bruce’s shoulder with a relieved sigh.  
As much as Bruce was loath to ruin the moment, he had to ask; “So, what brought this on, hmm?”  
“One of my teachers at school said something,” Jason began, his voice low. “He said that street kids weren’t worth saving. That what you did for me was an act to gain more popularity for your company.”  
White-hot anger grew within Bruce at every word from Jason’s mouth. His hand at his side curled into a tight fist, fingernails digging into his palm painfully.  
“Really now?” He growled through gritting teeth. Jason tilted his head to look up at him, and Bruce tried in vain to calm himself. “Someone should show him how very wrong such a statement is.”  
The corner of Jason’s lips slid up into an amused smile. “You do know you can’t exactly beat someone up just for saying something, right?”  
“Who said anything about beating him up?” Bruce smiled dangerously. “I was simply suggesting I could talk to him.”  
“Uh huh. Ten bucks says you’ll make him cry.”


End file.
